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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Visiting With The Twins

While stopping by various showrooms, during my recent High Point Market jaunt, I made a note to myself to be sure to reconsider twin beds as a solution for guest rooms. There were so many lovely upholstered headboards, as well as wood frames being prominently featured. The more I saw, the more I felt as if I was on to something . . . a new interpretation of the 1950’s flashbacks to “I Love Lucy” and “The Dick Van Dyke Show”, where TV land had married couples sleeping in separate beds. (What a difference fifty years has made!)

Meanwhile, after thinking of the multiple, beautiful and practical reasons for offering this as a design concept . . . and for adult rooms, no less . . . I went searching the net for design inspiration to share.

Gooorrrrgeous! The art to the fabness in this room is the bold patterning. Love the combo of wood and fabric in the headboards and the cute little feet peeking out from the corners. (Pinterest)

The perfect solution to one of those oddly shaped rooms. A clever and creative way to control light and privacy with the wrap-around rods. Each guest still has a sconce tucked within for nighttime reading. (Veranda – Interior Design – Willis and Marsden – NC Mountain Cottage)

Even with odd window placement, there is no fast ruling that a bed can’t be placed in front. The panels almost create a canopy backdrop. (From Elements of Style)

Forgo the headboards and use fabric and a cornice to add height and interest, along with pattern. Again, furnishings are simple and allow the over-scale paisley to rock the room with design. It would be so simple to make this happen in your home! (Myhomeideas.com)

A designer’s trick to beefing up the scale of a twin bed would be to enlarge the visual space. The horizontal lines of the headboards, along with the placement of the connecting wall art, spreads the visual field. The large-scale, patterned duvets, at the ends of the beds, help to balance it all out. (Apartment Therapy)

Can’t you just picture these at a vacation get-a-way? Happy times! (Pinterest)

Flexible design at it’s best! Take away the quilts, pillows and a few accents, and you’re left with an all-white, summery room. For seasonal design, the slipcovered headboards could be recovered in a heavier texture and different textiles could be brought in to transition you towards fall and winter. (Full House Blog)

So I have to admit . . . I’m a restless sleeper. The placement of these upholstered-base beds gives me comfort in knowing a wall is there to keep me intact. No rolling out of bed in the middle of the night! (Full House Blog)

Let’s just say you aren’t hosting two unrelated visitors and the only extra room is housing the twin beds. Rather than being concerned, there are great mattress fillers which allow you to push the beds together to fashion a king size. Kaboodle offers an option for “Create A King”. Of course, some beds are easier to do than others. I loved the clever vintage headboard design, offered by Ellen Ward Antiques on 1st Dibbs. It’s from the 1950’s! (Those cheeky folks!)

Even if you have full-scaled, wood frames, depending on the shaping, they still may be pushed together to make a snuggly sleeping space.

I hope this post has you thinking of those headboards or beds, tucked away in the attic or storage. Get them out and have fun with them! Maybe you’ve gotten stuck as to investing in some decent furniture for a child’s room because you think twin beds won’t be practical for the long term. I hope you’ll reconsider making good choices in quality and design. You could even have a room where a twin solution would make it feel more open and spacious. Get out the space plan and have a look.

Summer is around the corner and guests will be arriving. It’s a great time to be thinking about your new arrivals!